Railway signaling apparatus



1 646,420 1927' L. H. PE'FER RAILWAY SIGNALING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 26,1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lNVENTORt 5 Q,- KW M z z ATTORNEY 1,646,420 0. 25,1927. PETER RAILWAY SIGNALING APPARATUS Filed D 26. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet2 my. 4. I

, 2 "'l'll' 15 1 6 7 f INVENTOR'.

Pam, ug-M Patented Get. 25, 1927.

UNITED srares PATENT FFICE.

LESLIEIIURST PETER, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,TO THE UNION SWITCH & SIGNALCOI'IIPANY, OF SWISDVALE, PENNSYLVANIA, A

CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILWAY SIGNALING APPARATUS.

Application filed December 26, 1924, Serial No.

cut signal indications,and has for its object to provide simple andeffective arrangements for electrically transmltting to any desiredpoint an indication of the part cular signal or signals which .isvor areoperative at any time.

According to my present invention this is effected by causing the phaseor magnitude of an electric current transmitted from the signal to thepoint at which indication is desired to be varied in accordance with theparticular signal or signals which is or are operative this currentbeing supplied to an indicating device which is so constructed as to beresponsive to the phase or magnitude of the current.

My invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanyingdrawings, of which Figs. 1 to 7 inclusive are diagrammatic views ofvarious arrangements of apparatus which may be employed in carrying myinvention into practice.

Referring now first to the arrangement shown in Fig. 1, it will be seenthat a signal actuating apparatus S is provided comprising a localenergizing winding 1 and a'control winding 2, the winding 1 beingpermanently connected to a source of alternating current which may beconstituted by transmission conductors. The winding 2. is also suppliedwith alternating current from the same or another source, the currenttraversing this winding being controlled from any suitable point such asa signal cabin, so as to cause the signal apparatus S to give one oranother of three diiferent illuminated signal indications. For instance,the signal apparatus S may be arranged to eiiect the setting of a signalarm spectacle so as to bring one or another of three differently coloreddiscs in front of the signal lamp in the usual. manner. The operation ofthe signal apparatus S is indicated at the pointof control or otherselected point by means of an indication device I which may comprise, asindicated diagrammatically, a power factor meter having an elementconnected with a source of energy of known phase relation with respectto the source connected with winding 1 and 758,068, and in Great BritainFebruary 29, 1924.

adapted to. give four different indications,

viz, one when the current suppliedto the device I is zero, a secondindication when this current is of unity power factor, athird in:dication when the current has a laggingpower factor, and a fourthindication when the current hasa leading power factor;

The indication device I is connected to the signal apparatus S by twoconductors 3, 4, one, 3, of which is connected to one of the terminalsof the winding 1. An intermediate point in. this winding is connectedby'means of a conductor 5' through switch cont-acts 6 to a contact arm 7adapted to be operated by the signal arm carrying the spectacle abovereferred to. r The switch contacts 6 are arranged to be closed only whenthe signal lamp is illuminated and the contact arm 7 is arranged toengage with one or other-of three fixed contacts 8, 9 and 10, accordingto the signal indication exhibited, that is to say, according to theposition of the signal arm spectacle.

The contact 8 is connected through an inductive resistance 11 to theconductor-4, the contacts 9 and 10 being alsoconnected to the sameconductor through a non-inductive re-' sistance 12, and a condenser "13respectively.

In operation it' willbe understood that when the signal lamp of theapparatus S is not illuminated the switch contacts 6 are open andcurrent is consequently not supplied to'the indication device I, and thelatter accordingly gives a corresponding indication. If, however, thesignal lamp is illuminated so that the contacts 6 are closed and thesignal arm spectacle occupies a p0sition corresponding, for instance, toa danger signal indication the contact arm 7 being in the position shownin the figure that is to say, is in engagement with the contact 9,current is supplied from the winding 1 to the indication device I, andowing to this circuit including the non-inductive resistance 12 thiscurrent will be of unity power factor. The indication device I willaccordingly give the second or danger indication above referred to. l

In the event- Of the signal arm spectacle occupying a position in whichthe contact arm 7 is in engagement with the cont-act 8 corresponding,say, to a .cauti.on signal indication, the current supplied to the indi-L'JI cation device I will traverse the inductive resistance 11, and Wlllconsequently have a lagging power factor, so that the device I will givethe third indication.

Finally, if the signal arm spectacle assumes a position in which thecontact arm 7 is in engagement with the contact 10, corresponding, say,to a proceed signal indication, the current supplied to the indicationdevice I will traverse the condenser 13 so that this current will have aleading power factor and the device I will give the fourth indication.

It will thus be seen that four different conditions or settings of thesignal apparatus S can be indicated at the desired point by the use oftwo transmission conductors connecting this point to the signalapparatus S.

I11 the arrangement shown in Fig. 2, the same result can be achievedwith a single conductor 4; connecting the signal apparatus S to theindicationdevice I, the other terminal ofthe latter device beingconnected by a. conductor 1% to the middle point of an inductive bridge15 connected across the control conductors 16 leading from the point ofcontrol to the winding 2.

The middle point of the latter winding is connected by means of aconductor 11 to an intermediate point in the winding 1,, and theconductor 5 is connected to one of the ter1n1 nals of the winding 1, asindicated in the figure.

The operation of the arrangement shown in Fig. 2 isthe same as thatdescribed above with reference to Fig. 1, it being understood that oneof the conductorsconnecting the signal apparatus S to the, indicationdevice I is constituted by a phantom circuit through the conductors 16.v

V In the arrangement shown in Figs. land 2 it will be seen that theindicationdeviee I is adapted to be operated to give different in.-dications in accordance with the phase of the current transmittedthereto from the. signal apparatus S. The different positions of thesignal arm spectacle may, however, be indicated at the point of controlby varying the volt-age of the current transmitted to the indicationdevice as in the system illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 3.

In; this arrangement the contacts 8, 9 and 10. one or another of whichis adaptedto be engaged by the contact arm 7 in accordance with the.position of the spectacle, are connected by means of conductors 17, 18,19 respectively to points ofdifferent voltage in an alternating currenttransformer winding which may, as shown, he the winding 1 of the signalapparatus S..

The indication device I is in this case constructed as a voltmeter orammeter, being thus capable of giving different indications inaccordance with the particular signal which is operative at a time. Inother respects the operation is the same as that of the arrangementabove described and will be obvious from the drawing.

The arrangement shown in Fig. 4 is similar to that of Fig. 3, exceptthata phantom return circuit is utilized as in the arrangement shown inFig. 2.

Referring now to the arrangement shown in .Fig. 5 which is similar tothat of Fig. 1, the signaling apparatus S is shown as comprising threesignal lamps 20, 21, 22, adapted to give correspondingly differentsignal indications, each of these lamps being provided with its ownenergizing circuit conductor 23, 2&1, 25, and a common return conductor26. The circuit of each of the lamps 20, 21, 22 includes the winding ofa relay,

the movable contacts 27, 28, 29 of which are adaptedwhen the relaysareenergized to. engage with fixed contacts 8, 9, 1O respec-.

tively, and thus complete a circuit from the secondary winding 30 of atransformer through an inductive resistance 11 or a noninductiveresistance 12 or a condenser 13, according as the lamp 20 or the lamp 21or the lamp 22 is operative. One terminal of the transforn'ier winding30 is connected to the common conductor 31 and the other terminal to theconductor 4 leading to. the indication device I. The other indicationconductor 3 is connected to the relay contacts 27, 28, 29 and theprimary winding 32 of the transforn'ier is connected to any suitablesource of alternating current. V

In'operation it will be understood that when none of the signal lamps20, 21, 22 is supplied with operating current all the relays aretie-energized, and current is not sup plied from the transformer winding30 to the indication device I, which accordingly gives a correspondingindication.

If, however, one or other of the lamps 20, 21, 22 is energized currentof lagging, unity, or leading power factor will be transmitted to thedevice I, and, a corresponding indication given.

The arrangement shown in Fig. 6 is similar to that shown in Fig. 3,except that one or another of the points of different voltage in thetransformer winding 1 is arranged to be connected to the conductor 1-leading to the indication device I when a corresponch lng relay contact27, 28, 29 is closed, this re- 7 lay being energized when current issupplied to the corresponding signal lamp 20, 21, or 22. y

The conductor 3 leading to the indication device I in this case alsoserves as a return conductor for the signal lamp circuits as will bereadily understood.

Referring now to the arrangement shown in Fig. 7 the indication device Iemployed is in this case of the direct current type being adapted togive one on another of four Jun different indications according as thedevice employed for operating the indication deviee I, one terminal ofthe secondary33 being connected through a conductor '34:, a rectlflierand a conductor 36 to a fixed contact 8. The other terminal ofthesecondary '33 is connected through a conductor 37, a rectifier 38,'aconductor 39 and a resistance 40 to a second fixed contact 9, theconductor 39 being also connected to a third fixed contact 10, as shownin the drawing. The middle point or the secondary 33 is connected to theindication conductor 4 and the middle point of the winding 2 isconnected through switch contacts 6 to a contact arm '7 adapted toengage with one or another,

of the fixed contacts 8, 9, l0. Thecontact arm 7 is arranged to beoperated 1n accordance with the movement of the-signal arm spectacle asabove described with reference to Fig. 1.

In operation it will be understood that when the si nal. lamp isnotilluminated the contacts 6' are open so that current is not supplied tothe indication device I which accordingly givesa correspondingindication.

lVhen the spectacle occupies a position corresponding to a dangerindication the contact arm 7 is in engagement with the fixed contact 8so that current is supplied from the secondary 33 through conductor 34,rectifier 35, conductor 36, fixed contact 8, contact arm 7, closedswitch contacts 6, the two halves o'fthe winding 2 and the con ductors16 and inductive bridge to the indication device I, the return circuitbe ing from the conductor 4 to the middle polnt of the secondary 33.

The rectifiers 35 and 38 are each arranged;

to suppress dillerent halves of the alternating current wave, therectifier 35 being, for instance, arranged to suppress the negative halfwith the result that the current traversing the indication devicethroughthe circuit above described will be of positive polarity and w Iaccordingly. I

lVhen the signal arm spectacle occupies a position corresponding tocaution the con tact arm 7 will be in engagement with the fixed contact9, so that a circuit will be com pleted from the secondary 33, throughconductor 37, rectifier 38, conductor 39, resistance 4.0, fixed contact9, contact arm 7 and switch contacts 6 to the indication device I asabove described. Therectifier 38 being ill operate the indication deviceadapted to suppress the positive halves of the alternating current waveit will be clear that thecurrent supplied to the indication 'device Iinthese circumstanceswill be ot negative polarity, and; since the circuittraversed by this current includes the resistance 40 will be of lessthan the normaltvalue tliusgiving a corresponding indication at thedevice I. I 7

When the signal arm spectacle occupies a position corresponding toproceed the contact arm 7 will 'bein engagement with the fixed contact10', whereupon current of negative polarity will flow from secondary.33, through conductor 37, rectifier 38, conductors 39 and 39, fixedcontact 9, contact arm 7 and switch contacts 6. to device Ias abovedescribed, the-resistance 40 in this case, l1owever, not being includedin the circuit so that the current supplied to'the indication devicewill be of negative polarity and of normal value, and will cause acorresponding indication at this device.

i The rectifiers indicated'at 35, 38 are preterably of the typedescribed in the specification ot'British Patentv No. 194,653.

It will be understood that various modifications of the arrangementsabove described may also be employed for instance, in the case in whicheach signal indication is given by a separate lamp the relay connectedin the lamp circuit may bereplaced by a thermo-sensitive device arrangedadja cent to the lamp so that the heat generated thereby when the lampis operative will cause the closure the, character of the currenttransmitted to the indication device.

Again, it will be evident that multiple as-j pect working of the signalcan be indicated,

of contacts for varyingv if desired, the indicating device, whether 0t 3factor corresponding to a lead of 45 in phase to be transmitted to theindication device and a correspondmg indication given 7 thereby.

In theseand other respect-s my invention is not limited to theparticular arrangements above described and illustrated by way ofexample, which may be varied as desired in order to meet particularconditions withouteXceeding the .scope of my invention.

Having now particularly described and. ascertained the nature of my saidinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare thatwhat I claim is:

1. In combination, a signal capable of displaying three indications, anindicator'responsive to the phase or the current supplied thereto, andmeans for connecting said indicator with a source ofalternating Voltagethrough a non inductive resistance, an inductive resistance or a.condenser depending upon the indicationdisplayed by the signal.

2. In combination, a signal capable of displaying three indications, anindicator responsive to the presence or absence of cur rent suppliedthereto and also tot-he phase relation of the current supplied thereto,a source of energy having one terminal 0011 -stantly connected with oneterminal of said the remaining terminal of saidindicator, a

movable contact connected with the remaining terminal of said sourcewhen said signal displays any one of said indications and arranged toengage the. tree terminal of Silld non-inductive resistance saidinductlve resistance'or said condenser depending upon the indicationdisplayedby the signal.

I Intes t-iniony whereof I affix my signature LESLIE URs'r PETER.

